Marking the opening of a new million-dollar HP Graphic Arts Solutions Center – where the latest in printing technology advancements for commercial printers are on display – HP today announced the availability of new solutions and services for the graphic arts market.

One of the major news items is the availability of the HP Indigo press 5000 in Europe and the US, and the availability of HP Vivera Inks for large-format printers.

First introduced at Drupa 2004 as a centerpiece of HP’s ongoing digital publishing initiative, the HP Indigo press 5000 is a four-color digital press with seven-color capability geared for mid-size to large-scale commercial printers and has the capacity to produce up to 4,000 full colour pages per hour.
Previously available only for HP’s consumer printers, HP Vivera Inks for large-format printers benefit professional photographers, graphic designers and fine artists who need the highest quality when digitally reproducing their original works.

HP also announced increased partner support from key industry leaders as well as new financing options to help customers make the transition to digital printing.

The announcements were made in conjunction with the opening of the HP Graphic Arts Solutions Center in Atlanta, where visitors can take part in in-depth discussions with technical experts on the benefits of digital printing and one-to-one marketing for their particular business. 

The HP Indigo press 5000 features a number of paper handling and ink system innovations. These include multi-tray input, which allows the operator to load one tray while the press prints from the others, and a high-capacity paper output system that features a convenient sampling tray for easier proof checks.

With the front-end HP Press Production Manager, the HP Indigo 5000 is said to handle even large variable data jobs quickly and efficiently. Based on open standards, the HP Production Press Manager combines simplified operation with scalable, high-performance RIP and web-to-print connectivity. This results in true workflow integration for dramatically improved throughput and significantly higher breakeven point for short-run printing.

“The HP Indigo 5000 has the superior quality, the highest productivity and the best workflow we’ve ever used,” said Peter Sommer, owner and manager of Germany-based Sommer Corporate Media, which is beta testing the HP digital press.
Uptime is further maximized by the new HP Instant Support System, which automatically alerts the HP Indigo Customer Care Center when a problem occurs and allows a technician to remotely troubleshoot the press.

The latest generation of HP ElectroInk is employed to print 97 percent of PANTONE colors, including brand-essential corporate colors, and offers greatly expanded substrate capabilities supported by HP Indigo Printing Papers. Other advantages include no-commitment consumables programs, one year of free service and attractive service pricing once the initial coverage period ends.

Vivera Inks

HP Vivera Inks are specifically engineered and tested to ensure the delivery of vivid, lifelike colors with a broad colour gamut and crisp black text. The result of HP scientists’ and engineers’ quest for superior results is a range of ink formulations that blend with advanced precision for consistent, true-to-original prints, according to HP.

Because HP Vivera Inks are ultra-pure, they dramatically reduce printhead clogging. The combination of ultra-pure inks and HP-exclusive protectants keeps documents safe from airborne pollutants and fading, enabling photos and graphics to resist fading for decades.

One of the first large-format printers to employ HP Vivera Inks is the new HP Designjet 90 Printer series, a six-color, A2+/C+-size solution that produces very high-quality images with a wide range of colors, deeper blacks, continuous tones and gloss uniformity. Using HP Vivera Inks along with select HP papers, photos printed on the HP Designjet 90 Printer series can last up to 82 years (Wilhelm Research -ed.) which is significantly longer than traditionally processed photos.